Dishes washed and work done, Ann and I went down to bank to cash check and went over to get 1 lb of peas for Olga, which were the wrong kind and we had to return them. I was laying down and Annabelle was playing the Victrola when Papa came in the coupe. He and I went down to the Piggly Wiggly and got a whole mess of groceries, and up to the Ford Garage to get some parts.
I am beginning more and more to like bobbed hair!
When we got back, Frances and Don Davis were there. I helped Olga get supper and Lou came. After supper Papa, I, Ann and Frances all got in the coupe and went down to Lakeside. (Lou had to go to a lodge meeting and Don wanted to go to the pool hall) There we met Clarence in his uniform and we walked around the park seeing everything – it’s the first I’d been there and when we rode on the “Derby” and took a repeating ride –My! How exciting it was! Then we went on the “Skooter”, the “Old Mill”, “One Thousand and One Troubles” which was all kinds of looking glasses and Boy! I surely was queer looking in most of them, and then we went in the Ballroom and watched them. Frances danced twice and Clarence came in after her. We all came out with Clarence in his police uniform and everyone stared at us, and some asked what offence we had done, and where was he going to put us, etc. We had quite a laugh. Then we went on the “Derby” again and a boy in a white sweater, one of the derby operators, Jack, asked Annabelle if she were not lonesome in the back seat all alone, etc, - quite a flirt alright.
Then we took Frances home, rode down Broadway and all around. Got some milk at creamery and went back to Lakeside after Clarence at about 11:00. He hailed us outside and then we started for camp. Clarence was in the middle, Annabelle on outside and I on her lap. We got home about 1:30 AM and tired, tired and extremely sleepy. Clarence slept in the car with pops & mama slept on my cot.
July 16, Wednesday: Fred’s birthday! Today Papa is to leave for Blaine so to be there for the trial, so we tarried in bed not long this morning. Nearly all morning Papa and the boys worked on the coupe while we washed some clothes out to make our washing the next day lighter. A man gave the kids a half a watermelon and we ate it as Papa was leaving for Blaine for Aimie’s trial about 3:00. We finished up the washing and did some ironing. Along towards evening Annabelle and I went over to the swings and as they were occupied we followed up the stream and came to the swings above Gate’s Mansion, up on the mountain. There we gabbed and talked and visited until almost dark and as we feared Mother would worry about us, we came back to camp. The kids were trying almost unsuccessfully to give Fred a birthday whipping. We sat around the campfire which felt very good and soon we went to bed.
July 17, Thursday: Got up bright and early –clothes were put to soak night before and Mama had them partly washed before we got up. By dinner, most of the washing was done and as we were eating dinner the clouds came up so thick, black and dark that we moved in the tent and car and prepared for it immediately. It rained and hailed the most and hardest of any storm they’ve had in the mountains since we arrived here at camp. It soon cleared up, however, and we discovered we left a blanket up on the mountain and it had to be washed and dried again! Poor Mother so angry and aggravated, but we helped her and ironed all afternoon and evening. Then Nora, Annabelle and I went to the swings and read “Aren’t Husbands Queer?” from the American magazine. Then we went back and went to bed.
July 18, Friday: Mother never likes to lie in bed so we got up. Had another Ho-cake or Jonny-cake for breakfast- a change from plain dutch-oven bread and surely good too! After breakfast Annabelle and I fixed our lunch and prepared to go down to Starbuck after the mail and bread! We left about 10AM. We had 2 or 3 offers of a ride but we preferred riding back instead of down; so we declined all rides. Found a vanity comb which we surely needed and used but we put it by a telephone pole until we came back. We got there and got the mail about 11:30. We read all the letters and cards, one from Papa saying the pictures were no good-only 4 of 12 were worth having more copies made of them- none of the camp out under the shade at a camping table.
We were getting quite hungry so we went on east of Starbuck and climbed up the side of a mountain, found a good tree with big rocks and ate our dinner. Crackers, potted ham, watermelon preserves and nucoa (oleo). We devoured every bit of it, then sat and read some more articles from the American, which we had taken along. After resting and talking awhile started back to Starbuck to await the mail. We bought some bread at the grocery (4 loaves) and went to a covered well to wait. Two little boys and a girl (5 to 7 years old) came and drank and talked and quarreled with us and my the stories we did tell. We talked in Spanish to them and they thought us queer! About 3:15 the mail car came from Denver and we got the mail – one letter from Denver, a Drug store. It was the pictures Papa had developed.
Then we started home and Wow! How Hot it was coming up that old canyon, facing the sun and no one asking us to ride as we had planned. We rested from shade to shade and drank from the springs that crossed the road at places. Just before reaching camp, a big car stopped and a man & woman asked us to ride but we were so near camp we politely declined. Mama was somewhat worried for she expected us back about noon.
We hungrily devoured a supper of dutch-oven bread and tomato soup – some combination, but we certainly enjoyed it. After supper, we all went walking and for the first time since we’ve been here, Mama crossed the swinging bridge. We walked around and looked at the eating places of campers, etc, picked flowers and soon came back and built a campfire and went to bed. We were barely asleep when honk, honk, toot, toot, Lou Olga, Jr., Frances and Don came. After a long visit, Lou and Don went back but the others chose to stay with us until Sunday night. This meant rearranging beds and a couple of beds extra to make. Soon again all was quiet and peaceful.
Papa and all the rest started around the curve to go up and see the gold mine not far away. Halfway around the curve they met Lou, so they all turned around and came back. Nora and Ann prepared to go back to Denver with Lou, so did Clara and Iva. When all were ready, they piled in the coupe and Lou’s big new Nash and went to Mrs. Wuebbenhorst’s. Thelma and I stayed here, and finally went to bed. We were awakened when Chas and Fred were coming to bed, quarrelling and fighting like magpies. When their storm all blew over, I went back to sleep and slept soundly. – Yo Estoy mala
Fred made a wonderful little cellar and steps to walkout to it – it was just fine! After dinner – a cold lunch- Mama put the milk, butter, fruit, drinking water, etc., all in it and she was certainly pleased. Then we lay down, took a nap, and slept. After we got up, we strung the beans (green) which Aimie sent us and put them on to cook – baked sweetened rusts, [?] and a graham loaf. Mama made a broom out of fir branches and an old broomstick we found. It was a success so she swept the whole camp ground! Fred and Thelma sprinkled the yard and road above camp with water to settle the dust –made it nice and cool, too. We waited then for Papa, Ann and Nora to come. They didn’t come until after dark; had a lot of groceries and supplies, and by the time we put them all away it was almost time to go to bed. Papa Ann and I decided to go to bed and get up early and be in Denver by at least 9 to start to Cheyenne.